he B1K is a concept bike created by the design team at Peugeot Bicycles in cooperation with Ultra Motor . Among the distinctive features of the radical design are the carbon fibre construction, chainless drive train and the absence of a conventional frame structure and rear hub. Peugeot has unveiled a set of official images that show a design study of a futuristic racing bicycle, called ‘B1K’. t’s almost an identical situation to the very similar machine Lexus showed at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, except Lexus was subsequently prepared to give us the specs, whereas Peugeot isn’t and the Peugeot model on display is clearly still at least partially conceptual but there a few clues that indicate this “concept” is a lot more than just a styling exercise. Peugeot showed its first car at the Paris Exposition of 1889 and had already been manufacturing bicycles for seven years at that time – the Grand Bi was a Penny Farthing style bike which went on sale in 1882 and became one of the key factors in establishing the company’s reputation for quality engineering. In the subsequent 128 years, Peugeot’s commitment to bicycles has ebbed and flowed, with the bicycle division being separated from the automotive company and subsequently re-embraced.
Bicycles have been humanity’s most popular personal transportation device for the last century, having outsold the automobile every year to the present day and recognizing that the marketplace for personal transportation will diversify rapidly over the next few decades, the French giant has developed the most complete range of options available anywhere under one brand – two wheelers powered by humans, electric and gasoline, a hybrid three wheeler and a range of electric, gas and hybrid four wheelers. More than any other marque, Peugeot has explored the combination of electricity with other forms of motive power to develop transport suitable for niche markets.
